The Overwatch 2 tournament at the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh delivered four days of the best hero-shooter action this year, culminating in a statement sweep by hometown heroes Team Falcons and an MVP performance from Proper. With a seven-figure prize pool, a global cast of teams, and a spectator-friendly format, this was a landmark stop on the 2025 Overwatch Champions Series calendar.
Quick facts
- Event name: OWCS Midseason Championship at Esports World Cup 2025
- Dates: July 31 to August 3
- Venue: stc Esports Arena, Boulevard Riyadh City
- Teams: 16
- Prize pool: $1,000,000
- Champion: Team Falcons
- MVP: Proper
- Format: Groups into single-elimination playoffs, with hero bans and a 13-map pool across five modes.
What the event actually was
Overwatch 2 at EWC 2025 was the OWCS Midseason Championship, the first international LAN of the series’ 2025 season. Sixteen teams qualified through their regional OWCS leagues, with two final spots coming from the South America FACEIT League and an in-person Last Chance Qualifier in Riyadh. The tournament featured a group stage followed by a single-elimination playoff bracket to crown the Midseason champion and award crucial EWC Club Championship points to each organisation.
Dates, venue and daily start times
All matches were played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the stc Esports Arena inside Boulevard Riyadh City. Competition ran July 31 through August 3, with broadcasts beginning at 6:00 PT, which is 15:00 in Central Europe and 16:00 in Riyadh.
| Date | Local start time (CEST) | Phase | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Jul 31 | 15:00 | Groups Day 1 | Opening matches in four groups |
| Fri, Aug 1 | 15:00 | Groups Day 2 | Deciders to lock the top 8 |
| Sat, Aug 2 | 15:00 | Playoffs Day 1 | Quarterfinals |
| Sun, Aug 3 | 15:00 | Playoffs Day 2 | Semifinals and Grand Final |
Format at a glance
- Group stage: Four GSL-style groups of four. Opening matches best-of-three, all subsequent group matches best-of-five. Top two from each group advanced to playoffs.
- Playoffs: Single elimination. Quarterfinals and semifinals best-of-five, Grand Final best-of-seven.
- Hero bans: Each team banned one hero per map, with bans alternating and restricted by role so that no two bans in a series targeted the same role from the same team.
Map pool
| Mode | Maps |
|---|---|
| Control | Busan, Lijiang Tower, Oasis |
| Hybrid | Blizzard World, Eichenwalde, Midtown |
| Escort | Circuit Royal, Shambali Monastery, Watchpoint: Gibraltar |
| Push | Colosseo, Esperança |
| Flashpoint | Aatlis, New Junk City |
The curated pool encouraged flexible tank lines and creative support ult trade management, with control and Escort anchoring many series.
The 16 participants and how they qualified
| Team | Region | Qualification path |
|---|---|---|
| Team Falcons | MENA | EWC Last Chance Qualifier winner |
| Al Qadsiah | EMEA | OWCS EMEA Stage 2 |
| Twisted Minds | EMEA | OWCS EMEA Stage 2 |
| Virtus.pro | EMEA | OWCS EMEA Stage 2 |
| Team Liquid | North America | OWCS NA Stage 2 |
| Geekay Esports | North America | OWCS NA Stage 2 |
| Sign Esports | North America | OWCS NA Stage 2 roster on loan from NTMR |
| Weibo Gaming | China | OWCS China Stage 2 |
| Team CC | China | OWCS China Stage 2 |
| ROC Esports | China | OWCS China Stage 2 |
| T1 | Asia Korea | OWCS Korea Stage 2 |
| AG.AL International | Asia Korea | OWCS Korea Stage 2 |
| VARREL | Asia Japan | OWCS Japan Stage 2 |
| The Gatos Guapos | Asia Pacific | OWCS Pacific Stage 2 |
| ZoKorp Esports | South America | FACEIT League S5 SA Masters winner |
| Crazy Raccoon | International | Champions Clash titleholder |
Note on naming: NTMR’s roster competed at EWC under the Sign Esports banner via a pre-event loan agreement, which is why standings and prize tables list Sign rather than NTMR.
Prize money and club points
The Midseason Championship featured a 1 million USD prize pool plus special awards and EWC Club Championship points. Here is the final distribution.
| Place | Prize (USD) | EWC Club Points | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $400,000 | 1,000 | Team Falcons |
| 2nd | $180,000 | 750 | Al Qadsiah |
| 3rd | $100,000 | 500 | Twisted Minds |
| 4th | $60,000 | 300 | T1 |
| 5th-8th | $35,000 | 200 | Crazy Raccoon, Virtus.pro, Team Liquid, Geekay Esports |
| 9th-12th | $20,000 | — | Weibo Gaming, VARREL, Team CC, Sign Esports |
| 13th-16th | $10,000 | — | AG.AL International, ROC Esports, ZoKorp Esports, The Gatos Guapos |
Additional awards: the Jafonso Award for winning an EWC event after qualifying via LCQ carried $50,000 and went to Team Falcons; the Sony Tournament MVP carried $10,000 and went to Proper.
Winners, MVP and key storylines
Team Falcons complete the miracle run. Falcons entered through the Riyadh LCQ and never looked back, beating regional contenders en route to a Grand Final vs Al Qadsiah. Their 4-0 sweep capped a picture-perfect run, delivered in front of a roaring home crowd. Proper’s tournament-long consistency and clutch final put him over the top for MVP.
EMEA depth shows. With Al Qadsiah second and Twisted Minds third, EMEA placed two squads on the podium and three in the top eight, underscoring the region’s stability across metas and maps. Korea still placed a heavyweight in the top four with T1, but EMEA’s collective was the week’s bedrock.
The Sign surprise. The NTMR roster’s last-minute loan to Sign Esports turned heads before the first map. Sign showed promise in groups and added a fresh brand to the stage, illustrating how OWCS’s open ecosystem can elevate upstart organisations during international windows.
South America gets its shot. FACEIT League’s South America Masters fed ZoKorp into the EWC bracket. Results will give the region a benchmark as OWCS and FACEIT refine promotion pathways between the league system and global LANs.
How the tournament flowed
The groups opened with fast best-of-threes to establish upper and lower tracks, then pivoted to best-of-fives for the remaining matches. The playoff bracket compressed all knockout rounds into a two-day sprint, which kept momentum high and scheduling friendly across time ZONES. Combined with the hero-ban rule, teams frequently built attack-defense plans around denying comfort picks like a cornerstone main tank or a signature projectile DPS, then counter-pivoting with map-specific pocket comps on Flashpoint and Push. The result was a tempo-driven event with very few slow maps or lopsided stomps outside of the Grand Final.
Why this event mattered
For Blizzard’s Overwatch Champions Series, the Midseason Championship is the global litmus test before the late-year World Finals. It provided:
- Inter-regional data: NA backlines vs Korea’s front-to-back discipline, EMEA macro pacing vs China’s creative set plays.
- A live meta snapshot: With the published map pool and bans, teams had to demonstrate depth through several tank looks and flexible off-support rotations.
- Club points in a multi-title race: For organisations chasing the EWC Club Championship, Overwatch contributed meaningful points that can swing the overall table.
What comes next in 2025
OWCS Stage 3 kicks off across all regions in September, feeding into the international World Finals later in the year. Rosters that impressed in Riyadh will look to consolidate while bubble teams retool with promotion and relegation across the FACEIT ecosystem. Keep an eye on team partner program announcements and schedule releases for the autumn split so you can follow your region week by week.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the Overwatch Esports World Cup 2025 Midseason Championship?
It is the first international LAN event of the 2025 Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS), hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Esports World Cup. Sixteen teams from across the globe competed for a $1 million prize pool and valuable EWC Club Championship points.
When did the tournament take place?
The event ran from July 31 to August 3, 2025.
Where was the event held?
All matches took place at the stc Esports Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.
How many teams participated?
Sixteen teams from multiple regions qualified through OWCS regional leagues, FACEIT League, and a Last Chance Qualifier.
Who won the tournament?
Team Falcons won the championship, sweeping Al Qadsiah 4-0 in the Grand Final.
Who was the MVP?
Proper was named the Sony Tournament MVP for consistent high-level performance throughout the event.
What was the prize pool distribution?
The total prize pool was $1 million. The winners, Team Falcons, took home $400,000. The runner-up, Al Qadsiah, earned $180,000, and the rest was split among other teams based on final placement.
What was the tournament format?
The event featured a group stage in a GSL format, followed by single-elimination playoffs. The Grand Final was a best-of-seven, while most other matches were best-of-five.
What maps were in the pool?
The map pool included Control (Busan, Lijiang Tower, Oasis), hybrid (Blizzard World, Eichenwalde, Midtown), Escort (Circuit Royal, Shambali Monastery, Watchpoint: Gibraltar), Push (Colosseo, Esperança), and Flashpoint (Aatlis, New Junk City).
Where can I watch the matches if I missed them live?
Full match VODs are available on the official Overwatch Esports YouTube channel and Esports World Cup platforms. Many co-streamers and analysts also have commentary VODs.
What’s next for the teams?
OWCS Stage 3 begins in September 2025 across all regions. Results from this stage will influence qualification for the 2025 World Finals later in the year.
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